Applicator tool for pipe protectors



June 18, 1963 H. COLLETT 3,094,018

APPLICATOR TOOL FOR PIPE PROTECTORS Filed June 27, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. C/MELES E CauErr June 18, 1963 c. H. COLLETT 3,094,013

- APPLICATOR TOOL FOR PIPE PROTECTORS Filed June 27, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 H 40 ?[3 'N as 42 22 I24 25 1 E5 I25 2 26 W 155 5 E 23 2g l gg l0 l8, l5 /4 3 15 INVENTOR. 62/94 455 A. 604L577 24 10 rrolawey.

United States Patent 3,094,018 APPLICATOR TOOL FOR PIPE PROTECTORS Charles H. Collett, P.0. Box 411, Menlo Park, Cahf.

Filed June 27, 1960, Ser. No. 39,068 3 Claims. (Cl. 815.1)

This invention relates generally to improvements in tools for tensioning about well drill pipe, protectors of the split collar type comprising a rubber circular body split along one side and desirably containing metal reinforcement extending to or approaching the sides of the split for engagement by a tensioning tool and accommodation of locking means to secure the collar in its tensioned condition.

This split collar type of protector has the advantage of being capable of lateral, as distinguished from endwise slip-over, application to the pipe, with attendant facility and speed in the operations of applying and removing the protector, providing the applicator tool is capable of quick and easy manipulation and is otherwise practicable for association with the collar for both tensioning and releasing of the collar.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved applicator tool capable of performing the functions referred to with greater facility as respects hand operation or manipulation of the tool, all in such manner as to transmit collar tightening force with great mechanical advantage. Basically, the tool of the present invention comprises a pincers having two handles and a pair of jaws operable in response to relative displacement of the handles to efiect tightening of a split protector collar about well drill pipe, together with means including a pair of arms and a toggle joint actuable in response to relative spreading of the arms for displacing the pincers handles, thereby to operate the jaws. This arrangement is found to result in the transmission of collar tightening force with a high degree of mechanical advantage to the jaws, as well as being quite simple in construction, with the arm and handle combination lending themselves to easy hand manipulation and the toggle joint being such as to provide for over-center locking of the spread tool. Accordingly, a single operator may quickly and easily bring the protector sleeve to that high degree of grip tensioning required for locking or unlocking it about the pipe.

The invention has additional and specific features and objects relating to the form and novel arrangement of the components including the handles, jaws, arms and toggle joint, all of which contribute materially to the advantages possessed by the tool, which will be understood to better advantage without the necessity for further preliminary discussion, from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawing illustrative of the preferred although typical embodiment of the invention, and in which:

FIG. *1 is a plan view showing the complete tool;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing the tool applied to a protector collar to be tensioned about the drill pipe;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the tool illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to F'IG.2, showing the tool handles and arms expanded to bring the jaws to a position at which the protective collar is locked in tensioned condition;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

In the drawings I have shown as an illustrative split sleeve protector, a structure comprising a generally cylindrical rubber body 10 internally reinforced by a metallic band 11 which may also carry projections (not shown) 3,094,018 Patented June 18, 1963 "ice for engaging and gripping the drill pipe 12, the band being embedded in the rubber body and having terminal loops 13 and 14 within interfitting hinge-like projections forming the sides of the collar at the split or gap 15. The band 11 is shown to carry near the terminal loops, riveted-on or welded metal cleats 16 engageable by the later described tool jaws inserted within openings 17 in the rubber body to constrict the collar to the FIG. 4 position and bring loops 13 and 14 into alinement for reception of a locking pin 18.

The applicator tool generally indicated at 20 in FIG. 1 is shown to comprise a pincers 21 having two relatively long handles 22 and a pair of relatively short jaws 23, each handle being integral with one jaw to form a pincers lever. The pincers includes a pair of laterally extending forwardly and rearwardly spaced plates 24 and 124 carrying pivot pins or bolts 25, which mount the pincers levers to rotate about laterally spaced apart parallel axes 26. Plate 124 carries a boss that projects into the space between the handles 22, and that has tapered opposite end shoulders 126 to accommodate pivoting of handles 22, as seen in FIG. 4. As seen in the drawings, the pincers levers have polygonal cross section to receive the plates 24 and 124 at opposite flat sides 60 and 61.

The jaws 23 have integral tapered portions 29 projecting within the openings -17 in FIG. 2, and they also include appropriate terminal configurations such as the reduced diameter tips 30, for engagement with the cleats 16. As will be apparent, the jaws are capable of swinging movement together and apart in their cooperation with the protector collar.

Operatively combined with the pincers are means including a pair of elongated arms 31 and a toggle joint 32 actuable in response to relative spreading of the arms for spreading the pincers handles 22. Each of the arms 31 may include a terminal hand grip 33, remote from the pincers 21. Also, each arm has an extension 34, the two arm extensions being pivotally interconnected by the toggle joint 32 which is movable between pincers handles 22. The toggle joint is shown to include a pin or bolt 35 passing through overlapping terminal portions 44, arm extensions 34 midway between the pincers handles 22, and at a location in FIGS. 1 and 2 which is considerably closer to the pivots 26 than the locations of arm pivots 36 pivotally interconnecting the arms 31 with the pincers handles 22. The pivots 36 may also comprise pins or bolts as desired. It will be seen that the arm extensions 34 taper toward the toggle joint 32 from arm elbow locations 37, thereby facilitating an initial rather close positioning of the hand grips 33, when the arms and handles are in a first position as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which the pincers handles 22 extend generally parallel.

Reference to FIG. 4 shows the arms 31 and handles 22 fully spread to a second position in which the handles 22, plates 24 and 124 and arm extensions 34 form the four sides of a trapezoid when the pincers and actuating arms are in fully extended position. The divergency of the handles 22 is in contrast with the parallel extent thereof in FIG. 2, wherein the arm extensions 34 extend in tapering relation to form an acute angle 40 therebetween. Accordingly, it is clear that a very high degree of mechanical advantage is associated with collar tightening force transmission from the handles to the jaws.

Referring again to FIG. 4 it will be seen that the arm extensions 34 have a slight degree of over-center reverse angularity 41 with respect to the line 39 intersecting the centers of the pivots 36. In other words, the center of the toggle bolt 35 is slightly ofiset from the line 39 at the outside thereof. At the same time, the arm extensions are blocked against further reverse pivoting by shoulders 42 formed by notching the handles 22 at their terminal ends. Accordingly, the tool is locked in the position shown in .FIG. 4 with the terminals 30 of the pincers jaws transmitting collar tightening force to the cleats 16. In this position, the loops 13 and 14 extend in such alinement as to permit reception of the locking pin 18. When the protector sleeve is to be removed from the pipe, the tool is similarly manipulated to relieve the loop pull on the pin 18 and thus permit removal of the pin and rest-oration of the protector collar to untensioned condition.

Finally, with reference to FIG. 2, it wil be seen that inward collapsing of the arms and handles is limited by interengagement of the overlapping portions 44 of the arm extensions 34 at the location 45. Alternatively, such collapsing of the arm extensions may be limited by their engagement with stop shoulders 46 formed by the cut away portions of the handles 22.

I claim:

1. A tool for tensioning about well drill pipe a flexible split protector collar, comprising a pincers having two relatively long handles and a pair of relatively short jaws operable in response to relative spreading displacement of the handles to effect grip tightening of a split protector collar about well drill pipe, each handle being integral with one jaw to form a pincers lever, said pincers including pivots mounting said levers to rotate about spaced apart parallel axes and support means carrying said pivots, means including a pair of elongated arms and a toggle joint actuable in response to relative spreading of said arms for spreading said pincers handles thereby to operate said jaws, and arm pivots interconnecting said arms with said handles, said toggle joint pivotally interconnecting arm extensions movable between said handles, said arms and handles having an operating position in which the handles have been pivoted relatively away from each other, the arms have been pivoted relatively away from each other and through wide angles, said toggle joint has been displaced relatively away from said jaws and slightly over-center through a line intersecting thevcenters of said arm pivots, and said jaws have been closed toward onevanother for collar tensioning but remain spaced apart, all in response to said pivoting of the arms, said arm extensions being in substantial longitudinal alignment in said operating position, and interengaged shoulders on an arm and handle blocking further spreading of said arms in .said operating position.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which said arms and handles are pivotally spreadable to said operating position from a first position in which said arm extensions taper with acute angularity toward said toggle joint, the center of which is at the side of said line closest said jaws, said handles extend generally parallel, said arms extend relatively close to one another, and said arm extensions and handles are interengaged when the jaws have maximum spread.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which the jaws are substantially straight and the jaw terminals have substantially cylindrical ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 869,211 Mills Oct. 22, 1907 1,666,460 Ling Apr. 17, 1928 2,489,842 Wochner Nov. 29, 1949 2,635,494 Rogofi Apr. 21, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 728,681 Great Britain Apr. 27, 1955 

1. A TOOL FOR TENSIONING ABOUT WELL DRILL PIPE A FLEXIBLE SPLIT PROTECTOR COLLAR, COMPRISING A PINCERS HAVING TWO RELATIVELY LONG HANDLES AND A PAIR OF RELATIVELY SHORT JAWS OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO RELATIVE SPREADING DISPLACEMENT OF THE HANDLES TO EFFECT GRIP TIGHTENING OF A SPLIT PROTECTOR COLLAR ABOUT WELL DRILL PIPE, EACH HANDLE BEING INTEGRAL WITH ONE JAW TO FORM A PINCERS LEVER, SAID PINCERS INCLUDING PIVOTS MOUNTING SAID LEVERS TO ROTATE ABOUT SPACED APART PARALLEL AXES AND SUPPORT MEANS CARRYING SAID PIVOTS, MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF ELONGATED ARMS AND A TOGGLE JOINT ACTUATE IN RESPONSE TO RELATIVE SPREADING OF SAID ARMS FOR SPREADING SAID PINCERS HANDLES THEREBY TO OPERATE SAID JAWS, AND ARM PIVOTS INTERCONNECTING SAID ARMS WITH SAID HANDLES, SAID TOGGLE JOINT PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTING ARM EXTENSIONS MOVABLE BETWEEN SAID HANDLES, SAID ARMS AND HANDLES HAVING AN OPERATING POSITION IN WHICH THE HANDLES HAVE BEEN PIVOTED RELATIVELY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, THE ARMS HAVE BEEN PIVOTED RELATIVELY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER AND THROUGH WIDE ANGLES, SAID TOGGLE JOINT HAS BEEN DISPLACED RELATIVELY AWAY FROM SAID JAWS AND SLIGHTLY OVER-CENTER THROUGH A LINE INTERSECTING THE CENTERS OF SAID ARM PIVOTS, AND SAID JAWS HAVE BEEN CLOSED TOWARD ONE ANOHHER FOR COLLAR TENSIONING BUT REMAIN SPACED APART, ALL IN RESPONSE TO SAID PIVOTING OF THE ARMS, SAID ARM EXTENSIONS BEING IN SUBSTIAL LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT IN SAID OPERATING POSITION, AND INTERENGAGED SHOULDERS ON AN ARM AND HANDLE BLOCKING FURTHER SPREADING OF SAID ARMS IN SAID OPERATING POSITION. 